Category: ACORN India

ACORN India came into existence when in March 2005 the stage was set by the work ACORN International was doing in partnership with the FDI Watch campaign in India. ACORN India FDI Watch seeks to scrutinize and challenge Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector in India. ACORN India seeks to prevent large multi-national companies like Wal-Mart from entering Indian markets unless they guarantee protection of communities they affect; ensure stability of the existing small businesses and ensure livelihoods of small traders; guarantee fair wages, just working conditions and a right to unionize to all their employees; and ensure that a significant portion of the supplies comes from the Indian markets. LEARN MORE>>>

  • Updates from Dharavi

    Updates from Dharavi

     

    New concrete fence and concertina wire in Dharavi after 10 meters of slums were cleared on each side of sewer pipes.

     

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    New ACORN Recycling Center

     

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    Our World.

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    ACORN India’s Mission

     

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    One of our recyclers doing a rap about Dharavi for a crew from Panamanian TV — Telemetro.

     

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    Recyclers

     

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    Signs at our office.

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    More recycling.

     

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    The ACORN football (soccer) team shirts for our 70 players.

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    ACORN’s English Class draws a crowd.

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    Corporate Social Responsibility project with us got a wall painted at St. Xavier’s.

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    Vinod Shetty consults with Laxsma and other Dharavi leaders.

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    ACORN Dharavi Rocks band practices once a week.

     

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    Hot drummer on the plastic drum.

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    Dharavi Rocks sings together.

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    All of our instruments are recycled plastic or glass items.

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  • Organizing Small Retail Workers in Bengaluru

    Organizing Small Retail Workers in Bengaluru

    Bengaluru (Bangalore)  Here are some pictures of the work of ACORN India and organizer Suresh Kadashan in organizing retial workers in Bengaluru who have to fight against displacement of vendor space and for union recognition.

    Organizing on the city buses . . .

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    Market plans being discussed with Suresh and the K. R. Puram Santhe Maidane Market Association Secretary

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    Farmers’ Market

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    Some of the street vendors with organizer Suresh Kadashan.

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    The third-generation president of the K. R. Puram Santhe Maidane Market Association working with ACORN talks of the next action that is slated to protest displacement and developer plans as a rally where at the end they give blood and donate their eyes to charity, since, yes, the city is taking their very lifeblood and future vision away.

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    Suresh & the Streetvendor President’s Wife

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    Member selling coconuts.

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    Spices from our traders.

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    Goat and her kid frolicking in the streets.

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    Four kinds of chilli.

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    Puja Spices

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    Trading spices with four kinds of vermillion.

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  • ACORN India and Dharavi Kids Featured in Times of India

    Dharavi Kids Create New Sound of Music 

    PUNE: Come Sunday, and Puneites will get a chance to see the performance of a group of children from ‘Dharavi Rocks’, which creates music out of waste material. The uniqueness of the music lies in the instruments used, which are all from recycled plastic, buckets, tin covers, soft cans, water drums, etc. 

    The children, in the age-group of 10 to 17 years, will belt out rap songs and Bollywood numbers. The programme is organised by eCoexist as part of the ‘Beauty of recycling’ event at Fab India Jehangir at 6 pm. 

    The children live and work in Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia and the hub of most of the recycling activities in Mumbai. Some of them are working as ragpickers, while a few go to school and some are school dropouts. They had the opportunity to perform with well known artistes like Shankar Mahadevan, Sunita Rao and other international ones, and with Indian rock band Agnee and Something Relevant, a jam band. 

    Sunday’s programme will be hosted by Taal Inc, a drumming group here. 

    Dharavi Rocks is part of the Dharavi project, an initiative of NGO ACORN Foundation (India). The project works for the rag pickers’ rights. Utilizing artists and social impact programmes, it tries to change the living conditions of rag pickers who are segregating waste in and around the landfills of Mumbai. 

    The foundation has tied up with Blue Frog, an entertainment venue and music club, to bring music in these children’s lives. 

    Vinod Shetty, director of the ACORN Foundation (India) and an advocate by profession, told TOI: “These kids have no formal training. They are aided by musicians Abhijeet and Ayush, who come on a weekly basis to train and guide them. They concentrate on percussion instruments that are traditional and use old water drums, covers of monitors, bottles, plastic waste, among others, to create a rhythm. The shaker is made out of soft drink cans, filled with soil, and the mouth is taped for creating effective music. And the percussion instrument is made from plastic water drums. Thus, they create music from the waste that is available in plenty in Dharavi.” 

    “The performance is for the cause of recycling and to draw the public’s attention towards rag pickers. This will be their first performance in Pune,” Shetty added. 

    “Nearly 40% of those working in the waste business are children and women. We realised that just providing education will not work. Many kids joined us for a few days and left. So, the foundation opted for multimedia syllabus and conducts workshops where young children can get some kind of informal education,” he said. 

    According to Shetty, these children have tremendous self-esteem and confidence. “Most of their families are working in Dharavi as rag pickers or in recycle industries. We want these children to get jobs in offices with the help of our volunteers so that they do not have to face any occupational hazards,” Shetty said.

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Dharavi-kids-create-new-sound-of-music/articleshow/13981238.cms

  • Health Camp and Building Informal Workers Union

    Health Camp and Building Informal Workers Union

    Bengaluru (Bangalore):  As a way to reach informal workers we are organizing into a union, ACORN organizer Suresh Kadashan set up a “health camp” in the construction workers squatting settlement on disputed land between a private holder and the railway. A doctor volunteered and provided health screenings for diabetes, heart, and blood pressure and then out of his pocket provided some simple medicines, the diabetes strips, and referrals if needed to area hospitals. Over 4 or 5 hours we provided 99 screenings without the doctor and his equally volunteering nurse taking a break.  37 of the 99 tested positive for diabetes across all age groups, which was startling. The culprit seems to be diet and the fact that most the cooking oils are not refined making them amazingly dangerous.

     

    Settlement where workers live is more strongly built by the informal construction workers we organize. 

     

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    Pitching the tent for the health camp depends on helpers both tall and small. 

     

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    Doctor and nurse set up as Suresh Kadashan lends a hand with checking for ear mites. 

     

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    Screenings begin . . . 

     

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    Crowds growing . . .

     
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    The men await their turn last.

     
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    Medications are issued.

     

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  • Akshardham Temple & Metro Site

    Akshardham Temple & Metro Site

    Across the flyover or expressway from our oldest site and part of the ITO slum dislocation, is Akshardham Temple and Metro Site #4.  This homeless shelter managed by ACORN India is at the juncture of the Akshardham Metro stop, the railway line (on whose property it is located), a city water station and washing station for the poor, and an easy parking and resting place for auto rickshaw drivers. ACORN India’s 4 centers are among about 85 that are supported by the Urban Board of the Delhi Government.

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    Pictures of the railroad, the organizing staff with Dharmendra and Wade, the Temple and the Metro.

     

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  • ITO Slum and Commonwealth Games Housing

    ITO Slum and Commonwealth Games Housing

    Oldest shelter operated by ACORN India and a year ago we were operating it only for the winter in tents for some of our rickshaw drivers and other workers.

    Now, like the rest, there is hard siding, solar panels, better restroom facilities etc. We participated in an action today for better electric capacity since the panels hardly power one fan.

    The workers come in at the end of their labor, usually around 11 pm and are up and out right after dawn. In the mornings we read the paper out loud.

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  • Delhi Projects

    Delhi Projects

    Delhi Projects, a permanent shelter managed by ACORN India at Delhi Gate, near Old Delhi & Red Fort.  Capacity 100 people. It was a former matrimonial center.

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  • Azmeri Gate

    Azmeri Gate

    ACORN India homeless shelter called Azmeri Gate.  This Shelter is located not a kilometer from the Delhi Civic Center which is the city hall in central Delhi.  Holds 50 men as a night shelter.  The book they are holding is the registration book required of all every day. We also sign up members in the shelters among our informal workers.

     

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  • Dharavi Rocks on MTV

    Check out these videos of ACORN India’s Dharavi Rocks project on MTV! 

    They are called Sound Trippin.

    Dharavi

    Scrap Rap

    Sneak Peek

    Dharavi Promo

  • ACORN India Report 2011-2012

    Report from Delhi

    Bangalore Report APRIL 2012:

    I am trying to bring together the organizations working on the street vendors on a common platform to work together on the issue. Along with Vinay we had the first meeting at ALF office on.

    Malar from Action aid, selva from Jansahayog, Maithri from ALF, Vinay from Beedhi vyaparigala hakkothaya Okkoota, Swathi from Equations, Srinivas from AKRVO K.R.Puram , Nirmal from Yeashwanthpur traders association, Basavaraj from SN Dasappa Education Society, Zamir from Shivajinagar street vendors association participated.

    The decision taken at the meeting was:

    1. Reinstating the vendors of shivajinagar.
    2. Study on Street vendors, (economic and social status)
    3. to organize and mobilize the street vendors all over Bangalore for further protests and other programme on FDI in retail and also the issues on street vendors.

    The next meeting will be on 20th of May. There are attempts to accommodate more organizations in the platform. I am trying to find some one for the expenses and also vinay has had talks with the professors of IISc to help us on the study on the street vendors. And some of them had agreed to get it done for us and we are in the process of getting the logistics for the survey and the study ready.

    Weekly Meetings:

    Hebbal: 3 meetings with the street vendors.

    Yelahanka New town: 3 meetings with the traders of Yelahanka New town traders association.

    Shivajinagar: 3 meetings with the vendors.

    Yeshwanthpur: 3 meetings with the traders association.

    In K.R. Puram: 3 meetings were held.

    In all the meetings the common agenda was to bring all the street vendors and traders associations in Bangalore on a single platform.

    I had also organized legal awareness programme on women related issues for Sthree shakthi groups. In all there were 9 programmes in the last two months. Advocate. Smt. Nagarathna volunteered in advising the women folk at the meetings.